The history of Eyrarbakki stretches almost
a thousand years. Húsið ("The House") in Eyrarbakki is one of Iceland's
oldest buildings. It is a timber structure transported to Iceland in kit
form in 1765. The extension to the west of the House, known as
Assistentahúsið (the Assistants' House), is connected via an annex. It was
built in 1881. From 1765 to 1926, the House was the home of the Danish and
Icelandic merchants in Eyrarbakki and their staff. It is now the
Árnessýsla Folk Museum.
Emigration to the New World began here when Wickmann, the Danish
assistant manager here, emigrated to Wisconsin and sent news that
persuaded others to
follow.
